Last summer we had the chance to examine the first oval table that can be attributed to the workshop of John Head (1688-1754). According to entries in his account book, John Head sold approximately fifty-five oval tables between 1720 and 1737. Prices ranged from £0-18-0 for a pine table to £3-0-0, of which six were … Continue reading To an Oval Table
Joinery
Bartram Family Joiner Chest Over Drawers, Part 2
I found the Bartram Family joiner chest over drawers in a corner on the balcony at Pook & Pook, Inc. It did not rate the main gallery on the ground floor, but then, it is not a complex furniture form, it's not made of walnut , and while its primary wood species is a softwood, … Continue reading Bartram Family Joiner Chest Over Drawers, Part 2
Bartram Family Joiner Chest Over Drawers
On January 12, 2019, Pook & Pook Inc. will be auctioning a hard pine chest, 1720-1730, that can be attributed to the Bartram family joiner. In previous blog posts I highlighted furniture attributed to this shop including an oval table and a dressing table made for James and Elizabeth Maris Bartram who were married in 1725. … Continue reading Bartram Family Joiner Chest Over Drawers
“To a Walnut Dask” Part I
In the account book of the joiner John Head (1688-1754) there are debit entries for 45 desks, the first entry coming in 1719, two years after Head immigrated from England to Philadelphia, the last in 1742, two years before he ended his production of furniture. Compared to chests of drawers, there are few extant desks … Continue reading “To a Walnut Dask” Part I
Theories of Structure – The Shop Marks of John Head
From at least the early 20th century, and especially since the emergence of the Studio Furniture movement, most furniture makers who use shop marking to identify squared faces and edges of boards and to differentiate and orient carcase and drawer parts, have removed these marks from their finished products through planning, erasure, or other means. … Continue reading Theories of Structure – The Shop Marks of John Head
In Proportion to the Trouble 